Gumpaste Figure Question

So, the only thing I have made using gumpaste is the turtle in my pictures. He was short and had four legs to hold himself up. Now, I would like to make a person that stands on its own. How do I make the two little legs able to hold up the weight of the rest of the person? Do you use some sort of internal supports? Do you let the legs and other parts dry and then put them together, or assemble them while still soft? I'm obviously lost here, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I have made a few figurines but what I usually have noticed is that they are made sitting or laying

If they were standing up I would put some kind of support coming out from the feet part. I think thats how they do it on "Ace of Cakes". Some figurines like prinesses or brides can stand on their own because the wide dress is their support.

I use toothpicks coming out the legs (when drying stick them in foam). When figure is dry I place the toothpicks in a piece of covered cardboad and then place that on the cake as a sort of topper. The cardboard helps to support the figure so it doesn't just topple over. I'm still working on my system and if anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear them.